About Us
We are a growing collective intent on creating space for dialogue, research, and community around material culture in Canada and beyond.
Our Approach
At the Material Culture Collective, we believe that objects tell stories — about care, power, identity, and place. Our work is grounded in collaborative, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged approaches to material culture. We bring together scholars, artists, curators, and students to explore how everyday and extraordinary things shape our lives and histories.
Through workshops, blogs, publications, and peer mentorship, we create space to reflect, connect, and imagine new possibilities for material culture work in the 21st century.
Meet The Team
Lisa Binkley
Co-Founder and Director
Assistant Professor of History at Dalhousie University whose research explores Indigenous and settler women’s textiles and needlework. A member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars (2021–2028), she is the author of the forthcoming Canadian Quilts and Their Makers (2026) and co-editor of three books, including Stitching the Self (2020) and Dwelling on the Margins (2026). Her work appears in the Journal of Canadian Art History and several edited collections, with new contributions forthcoming in Material Matters and Bloomsbury’s World Encyclopaedia of Textiles.
Holly Dickinson
Co-Founder
PhD Candidate at Dalhousie University, specializing in the material culture of sexual and reproductive health in Atlantic Canada. With a background in Art History from Queen’s, she examines how everyday objects—from medical tools to contraceptives—have shaped health experiences and access to care. Her research highlights the intimate connections between material culture, bodily autonomy, and shifting healthcare practices. Beyond academia, she applies this knowledge as a full-spectrum doula, supporting individuals through all stages of care.
Our Collaborators
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